A pick-up device for packages, for example bags, is known, for example, from DE 693 06 083 T2. There, packages are picked up by so-called claws that grip around the packages from above. Such solutions and similar ones are inappropriate for various packages and fields of application since sufficient space must be provided for the movement of the claw that grips around the packages. It must be in particular ensured that the packages to be picked up are accessible both from above and from the bottom, so that the device may grip around them. Moreover, the handling possibilities after picking up and putting down the packages are restricted.